U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
NCBI/NLM/NIH Glossary
- tetrodotoxin
- Octahydro-12-(hydroxymethyl)-2-imino-5,9:7,10a-dimethano- 10aH-(1,3)dioxocino(6,5-a)pyrimidine-4,7,10,11,12-pentol. An aminoperhydroquinazoline poison found mainly in the liver and ovaries of fishes in the order Tetradontiformes (pufferfish, globefish, toadfish), which are eaten. The toxin causes paresthesia and paralysis through interference with neuromuscular conduction